We are proud to announce the winning name is: Pixson Pennesta.  Pixon was submitted by Alison McLaughlin of West Forest and Pennesta was submitted by Jayden Colvin of East Forest.  These two students will receive a twenty-dollar bill and a quarter collection.  Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all students who participated. 

A coloring book is being created with a Passenger Pigeon character that will teach kids about different historical figures or exhibits at our museum, but he needs a name!  So, we are holding a contest for students in the Forest Area schools to name our pigeon.  Teachers will provide them with the ballot to use for submitting the name they think suits our pigeon best.  The student submitting the chosen name will win a $20.00 bill and be recognized in our coloring book.  If we chose a name that several people submitted, we will put the names of all those contestants in a bag and pull out one winner.

Entry forms are due by February 10^th.  a cash prize.  Every student who participates in the contest will get a free ticket to the museum this summer to see all the things we have that explain the history of Forest County! 

Why a Passenger Pigeon?  There is a village in Forest County called Pigeon, near Marienville, because of the Passenger Pigeons that used to roost there in huge numbers before being hunted to extinction.

The Passenger Pigeon looks a little bit different than pigeons we see today.  It weighed about the same as a can of pop (12oz) and stood 16 inches tall.  It had a blueish gray neck and head and the upper mantle was described as bright bronze, violet or golden-green.  The tail feathers had white outer edges with blackish spots that were displayed in flight.  The wings were very long and pointed.  This bird used to be found all over North America, but mostly in the Eastern part around the Great Lakes.

The Passenger Pigeon migrated in enormous flocks, constantly searching for food, shelter and breeding grounds.  At one time there were at least 3 billion of these birds and may have been the most numerous bird on earth.  They flew very fast – up to 62 miles per hour – and the noise a flock of Passenger Pigeons made was deafening and could be heard from miles away.  When they landed, they often crowded so close together on a tree that they would break the branches.

This bird is believed to have played a significant ecological role in the composition of the forests of eastern North America.  For example, White Oaks grew so plentiful because their seeds geminated in the fall, so their seeds were not eaten by the pigeons.  However, Red Oaks produced acorns in the spring and the Passenger Pigeons ate the acorns.  Once the Passenger Pigeon population dwindled, the Red Oaks started to grow, so today we have a large number of Red Oaks in the eastern U.S. 

Passenger Pigeons were an important source of food for both Native Americans and then European settlers.  Among game birds they were second only to the turkey.  They were so easy to shoot, that many people did not consider them game birds.  Hunters usually waited until they passed over and then just shot their guns up and would bring down many pigeons.

By the mid 1800’s, railroads came along and people were able to ship masses of pigeons to restaurants in cities across the country.  Also, the telegraph could tell people where the flocks were.  So many pigeons were killed that they became extinct.  Scientists are now trying to use DNA to bring back the Passenger Pigeon, but we don’t know if it will work.

The Forest County Historical Society honored all our local Veterans by inviting them and our community to come together. The History Museum opened on Monday November 11 from 2-4.

Many veterans and visitors, including Senator Scott Hutchinson and Eric Cepek, Veteran Affairs of Forest County checked out our Veterans Room, which is curated by the local AmVets organization. Everyone seemed impressed with the artifacts and information we have on display.

Punch and cookies were served and the highlight for many was the entertainment this year. We had Amanda Hetrick, Superintendent of Forest County Schools, Carl Olson, regionally known Jazz musician, Carole Hall and Elisha Pospisil on hand at 2:00 to play the piano and lead a sing-along of old-fashioned patriotic songs. The foursome brought the house down with their rendition of Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy.

A special thanks to all who put this celebration together and participated.

Through a grant from the TreeVitalize program, FCHS planted 10 decorative trees at Tionesta Park. After a training session conducted by Marah Fielden of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, along with other volunteers, planted the trees on Saturday, May 11^th.

Tionesta Borough dug the holes prior to the day of planting.  SCI Forest’s Community Service Program finished digging the holes to the 3’ wide and 3’ deep size recommended to accommodate the 300-pound root ball on each tree. 

The idea for the grant originated with a dream of board member Burke Beach who wanted to return the elm trees to Elm Street.  The grant required trees to be planted on public property, but there wasn’t enough room on public land available along Elm Street.  Four elm trees were purchased by FCHS, with two planted at Riverside Cemetery and two in the front yard at the History Museum.  After the trees were planted, participants were treated to a picnic lunch. 

For the next two years, the Forest County 4-H group will weed and mulch the trees in June and the Tionesta Volunteer Fire Department will fill the water bladders attached to each tree as needed during the summer months.

Keeping Forest County beautiful takes a group effort.  We thank all of the individuals who are a part of this latest effort to be enjoyed by all for years to come.

We will have our annual fall dinner at St. Anthony’s Church Hall, Tionesta on October 17th with a
social half hour at 5:30 and meal served at 6:30. The menu this year is Roast Turkey and Stuffing,
Mashed Potatoes, mixed Vegetables, Coleslaw, Assorted pies, and coffee, tea, and Ice tea The
cost this year will be $15.00. This is an increase, but it is costing us more and so we must pass
that on to our attendees. We will not be making any money on this dinner. ALL reservations
must be completed on the website or turned into Toni Vrboncic, PO Box 367, Marienville Pa
16239 no Later than October 9th. We will also host a Chinese auction at the dinner. Plans for the
speaker will be updated as soon as they are confirmed.